2: The Phantom
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Chapter 2: The Phantom
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The streets of Ponyville were bustling with ponies going about their business as Twilight trotted at a brisk pace, looking for a certain fashionista. Late. She was late! That was absolutely unacceptable! How could she have slept in so late to miss her meeting with Rarity? Oh, she’d never hear the end of it, she thought, her head shifting left and right as she entered the marketplace. Spike sat on her back, bug-eyed and a little jarred by her frantic skittish movements as he held on to the best of his ability.
Twilight began looking through the crowd trying to find Rarity. She was supposed to have met her at Carousel Boutique, but it was obvious that the mare had grown tired of waiting for her and walked off to do her daily errands. Finding her was proving to be impossible. The market was currently flooded with ponies shopping and picking up food, crowding the area into a huddled mass. Applejack was working a stall in the corner, both mares exchanging friendly waves. Twilight blew a strand of hair from her eyes as she took in her surroundings, finding her search reaching a dead end.
Twilight sighed, feeling a cool breeze touch her cheek. The seasons had transitioned magically from summer to fall, the harsh sun now obscured by puffy grey clouds. Autumn colors had spread throughout the countryside, but it wasn’t the only thing that had changed. Ponyville had gone through a metamorphosis over the past few days, the ponies of the town stringing up the decorations for Nightmare Night. Stuffed dummies of ghosts and witches were hoisted onto the street posts, garlands of orange, yellow, and brown hanging over her head as she looked on. Many of the town shops had black cats and skeletons displayed in their windows along with a few showing off goods made specifically for the season.
While she was taking in her surroundings, her ear twitched at the sound a rather melodious humming, coming to her from over the crowd. She began to follow that voice, giving excuses and apologies as she pushed past the ponies in front of her. There as she cleared the group of ponies she found Rarity, currently busy working on hanging up a banner for the town square party.
“Rarity, I’m here!” she called, waving her hoof, gaining the unicorn’s attention. Rarity turned and looked at her, her horn alight, holding a hook and rope in her magic while she bit down on three little pins.
“Oh, Twilight, there you are. I was beginning to suspect that you would never get here,” she said with a little bit of sass while she pulled the pins out of her teeth, taking note of a few loose strands of hair in Twilight’s mane before looking down at the drake standing next to her. “Hello, Spike.”
“Oh, hi, Rarity.” Spike gave her a shy yet mindful glance, dancing in place. They’d known each other for four years now, but he still got a little giddy when she was around.
Twilight interjected, “I’m so sorry, I don’t know how the time got away from me.” She started to stammer, muttering sorries and other apologies that smothered the poor seamstress.
Rarity watched her have her little panic attack, quickly trying to soothe her, “It’s perfectly alright, darling, really. But if you really want to make up for it, spare your magic for a moment? I haven’t been able to find anypony free to help all morning,” she asked, gesturing to the banner.
Twilight ceased her ramblings and nodded, lighting her horn as she took a corner of the banner and raised it into the air, holding it while Rarity hooked it on. They repeated the action for the other side, gently rolling out the cloth to put the hooks that Spike handed them into the bottom half. They both looked up at the lettering on the banner, orange painted words on a black background that read ‘PONYVILLE 67th ANNUAL NIGHTMARE NIGHT CELEBRATION’, the words surrounded by images of skulls and pumpkins.
“Ahh, that’s much better,” Rarity said proudly, looking down at herself with a pout as she started dusting herself off. “Now, maybe you could tell me why you’re so late?” she said, glancing up at Twilight.
“I’m sorry, I overslept. I didn’t even realize the time until halfway through breakfast this morning,” she said, giving an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her head.
Rarity chuckled. “Caught in another one of your late night academic studies, I take it?”
“Yeah yeah, laugh it up.” Twilight rolled her eyes, grinning at her friend as they began to walk down the street. “Now, you were wanting to talk about costumes?”
“Oh, absolutely! I’ve been bringing in everypony in for measurements all week, but you’ve been busy every time I’ve come to get yours,” she whined, her eyes already looking the alicorn over, making out the details of her figure.
“Measurements? Really? Don’t you have them from the gala?” Twilight asked, finding the idea a little unnecessary, a little uncomfortable under the fashionista’s critical eye.
“Oh Twilight, that was ages ago. Everypony’s changed sizes since then, including you,” she remarked, earning a look from Twilight.
Twilight grinned, deciding to play with her a little, “You’re not calling me fat, are you?”
Rarity couldn’t help but laugh at that, giggling excessively before she could regain her composure. “Oh heavens no, darling. Honestly, out of our friends you’ve changed the least in size. Well, except for being an alicorn now, which is mainly why I need to remeasure your features.”
“Right.” Twilight shook her head, having forgotten that she had only ascended to princess status the year before. She looked over to her side at Spike, the young dragon currently busy ogling a jewelry shop window.
“Spike!” she called, the boy immediately dismissing the fine diamonds and rushing over to her side. “Could you go to the mayor’s office and let her know that I’m going to be running a little late?”
“Sure thing, Twi!” Spike gave her a salute, running off towards town hall as both Twilight and Rarity watched him, smiling at his exuberance.
“What are you going over with the mayor, anyway?” Rarity asked, watching Spike disappear around a corner.
Twilight smiled. “I got the permission form from Princess Celestia for renovations to Nightstone. I’m supposed to take it to Mayor Mare to go over a few contracts.”
“Oh, how lovely. Do you have any ideas on what you want to do with that dreadful old thing?” Rarity asked, grimacing at the idea of the gothic castle in question.
“Several,” Twilight answered, the two beginning to walk towards the direction of Carousel Boutique, “I’ve been thinking about opening a school here like Celestia’s in Canterlot, but focused not only on the magical potential of unicorns, but of earth ponies and pegasi as well.”
“A noble and delightful idea, if I may say so,” Rarity commented.
“That in mind, I’d also like to make it into a shelter, a sort of safe haven for when the town’s under attack,” Twilight added, groaning unhappily. She looked off to the distance where the castle’s towers rose from the forest canopy, dotting the sky with its dark spires. “I can’t deny, the castle is a fortress. The protection wards on it alone are… advanced. It’s perfect for any emergency.”
“Well, as long as you spruce it up and get rid of those horrid statues, I’m sure ponies will be more accepting of it,” Rarity said, staring at Twilight as they walked, unaware of the hooded stallion’s path she was walking into.
“Oof!” she squeaked, bumping into the stallion as they both staggered back a little. She apologized to him as he exchanged one apology back, and it would have been left at that, when she noticed the natural shine of metal underneath his cloak. She paused, watching him walk away in a hurry, meeting up with another cloaked figure as they exchanged words she couldn’t hear.
Rarity frowned, her face furrowed. This wasn’t the first time she had seen them, and she doubted it would be the last. Guards from Canterlot were unusual indeed, yet she had her suspicions.
“Twilight… why are there guards working undercover around Ponyville?” she asked, catching the alicorn off guard.
“W-What do you mean?” she pretended to be surprised, but she wasn’t fooling Rarity with her feigned innocence.
“Don’t play coy with me, Twilight. I’m a very perceptive mare.” Rarity stopped in the middle of the street, tapping her hoof impatiently demanding an answer as Twilight sighed aloud.
“You noticed them, huh?” Twilight asked, her ears flattening against her head, giving her a guilty half-smile like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
“Yes, and I doubt I’m the only one who has. Though everypony else is too polite to say anything,” Rarity said in a flat tone, reading the sad expression on Twilight face. “It’s because of what happened in Baltimare, isn’t it?”
Twilight looked away. Baltimare. She should have never let Nyx go. Everything had started out fine on that trip to the city, but how quickly things changed. She had waited at the train station excited to hear what her daughter had experienced, only to be met with the horror all parents feared. She had been sent to the hospital, and her teacher had to explain everything to her. If Ms. Cheerilee hadn’t been there to save her... Twilight shivered, breathing in to calm herself. The authorities were never able to find the three ponies responsible for beating her, a thought that outraged Twilight. Sometimes she wondered if they had let them go, or if they really cared. Why help the monster, after all?
Twilight scoffed, kicking the dirt as the two walked, Rarity looking towards the mare sympathetically. The two turned a corner and were met with the inviting exterior of Rarity’s home and business, making their way to the door.
“Twilight, I understand that you want to be protective, but this could be damaging to her if she found out. You know how she is when she thinks she’s putting somepony through a lot of stress,” she tried to reason with her, but Twilight stubbornly shook her head.
“Rarity, my little girl was almost taken from me because somepony saw the opportunity to make a profit. I can’t allow that to happen again.” She snorted, stomping her hoof. The two made their way to the door before Twilight stopped, giving Rarity a determined glare.
But Rarity only pressed further, putting her hoof onto her shoulder. “But don’t you see? It’s a downward spiral. What happens after the next incident? Or the one after that? You’ll make this town more of a prison than a home for her,” she pointed out, her words getting to Twilight as she looked dejectedly to the ground, leaning against the door.
“And what do you want me to do? Just leave her exposed? Let ponies do what they did to her? What they were going to do to her?” Twilight said at the end of a whisper, holding back an angry tear-filled rage. The two stared at each other for several moments, Twilight biting the inside of her cheek before sighing.
“Be as it may, recent events have convinced me irrevocably that measures must be made to protect her, and I will do everything in my power to do that,” Twilight paused, giving a mild cheeky grin, “and, being a princess, that leaves me with a lot of options.”
Rarity cast her eyes away, letting the air leave her lungs as she consented, “If you truly feel that this is the best thing you can do, then do it. But please, don’t forget what I’ve said.”
Twilight paused, then slowly gave her nod, thanking her for the comfort of having someone talk about her fears as they entered inside the boutique. “Don’t worry, Rarity. I won’t.”
“And sign here.”
Mayor Mare pointed to the dotted line on the contract, handing Twilight a quill to make her signature. The rest of her business had gone by smoothly since Twilight left Rarity’s, having looked eagerly forward to this discussion with the mayor. The office they were now sitting in was nothing to complain about either. The mayor’s office was a cozy little room laden with scarlet-colored cushions placed generously on oakwood chairs and a Victorian-style couch set by a window. Twilight sat comfortably across Mayor Mare, a beautiful oak desk separating the two with a red mat with gold trimming covering its center surface. Little trinkets covered the desk from a green desk lamp to a small world globe, papers littered about in organized chaos.
Twilight read over the print for a moment, going over the final details before signing on the dotted line, handing it back to the official. “Thank you, Mayor. The Royal Office has put a lot of funds into this project, your cooperation has been greatly appreciated.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Princess. Personally, I’m happy to see that eyesore given a makeover, if I may be so bold.” She gave a light chuckle, batting at her grey mane.
“It’s alright, I understand the sentiment. I plan on having the ground completely renovated,” she said enthusiastically, ready to have the matter dealt with.
“And I’m sure the Hoofington Construction Company would be willing to take the assignment. At least until after the holidays of course,” she added, groaning at the turmoil that would come with the town’s way of celebrating those holidays and the shenanigans that usually followed.
Twilight nodded, “That’s understandable. As a matter of fact, I would prefer the work to begin in the summer. It’s a little busy at home during the school months.” She smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
“I’m sure they’ll happily agree to that,” the mayor said, pressing the intercom button on her desk, “Ms. Notepad? Could you come to my office for a moment?”
Mayor Mare took her hoof off the button, and a moment later her assistant came in through the door, a skinny mare with her mane made up into a little bun wearing wide-rim spectacles bowing to Twilight and addressing the mayor, “You called for me?”
“Yes,” she said, taking a stamper and pressed it into the contract, marking it with her official seal. She handed it over to the intern. “File this and have a copy made for Ms. Sparkle, and bring in a receipt for her as well.”
Notepad nodded, taking the contract and leaving them as quickly as she came. Twilight watched her go, taking notice of her mild nervousness. “Is she new here?”
Mayor Mare nodded, getting up from her chair to walk over to her personal liquor cabinet. “She’s been working here for a few months now. Poor dear’s still trying to adjust to living in such a small town, probably nervous living around a princess as well.” She opened the glass cupboard, pulling out a scale-patterned crystal vial filled with a sparkling amber liquid. “Care for a glass?”
“No, thank you,” Twilight declined, not feeling in the mood.
Mayor Mare shrugged her shoulders, pulling the cork off and pouring herself a small glass. She set the bottle aside and moved in front of the window, staring out at the ponies walking in the street. “At least, it won’t be a small town forever.”
“How do you mean, Mayor?” Twilight asked, looking at her from her chair.
“The town’s growing, Princess, and you’re the main attraction.” She turned, looking her over with an attentive eye, taking a sip of her drink. “Been happening for a while now. Slow at first, but like a snowball down a hill. Not to mention the two castles we now have. Soon the town will be twice as big as it is now.”
Twilight shook her head, “Certainly you need more than that to be attracting so many ponies here?” she asked, crossing her legs and leaning back into the chair.
“Well, you’re right, the thing is we do have more to offer. Sweet Apple Acres was our largest attraction for decades, but that only attracts attention during certain parts of the year. But now your friend Rarity has expanded her business to Canterlot, and that attracts big names and bigger crowds.”
Twilight paused, thinking about it for a moment. That combination certainly put Ponyville more into the public eye. She didn’t quite know how to feel about that. Attention meant more ponies, ponies she didn’t know, and if more and more strangers started moving in and found out about Nyx? What would they do to her? Twilight frowned, but kept it at that. She would put it aside for now, making a mental note to take care of that little problem for later. She turned her attention back to the mayor, who was silent for a moment, pressing the glass to her lips.
“While you’re here, I’ve been meaning to ask about the presence of royal guards in Ponyville as of late. Do you perhaps know why that is?” the mayor asked, turning to look at the purple mare with a brow raised.
“Forgive me if I sound a bit rude saying this, but that’s none of your business,” Twilight said straight and simple, ending the matter then and there.
“Princess Twilight?” a voice came from the doorway, the two mares looking toward Notepad as she entered the room. “Your copies of the contract and receipt are ready.”
“Thank you.” Twilight got up from her chair, stretching her wings before sighing. “It’s been a pleasure speaking with you, Mayor Mare. I hope we can do this again in the future.” She bowed politely, shaking the mayor’s hoof before making her way out the door.
Once she was outside at the reception desk, Twilight noticed a certain black filly dangling her hooves over a chair, watching them rock before she noticed Twilight staring at her. “Mom!”
“Oh, Nyx! What are you doing here? I thought you’d be at home right now?” Twilight smiled while caught a little off guard, surprised to see her daughter in the office.
“Spike said you’d be here, so I came looking for you. I… wanted to talk to you about something,” Nyx said the last part a little uncertain, looking away to avoid her gaze.
“Well, alright. We can talk once I get my papers.” Twilight smiled, turning to Notepad who on cue handed her the copies, adding a nervous smile to her and a somewhat perturbed glance at the young filly. Twilight thanked her as she led Nyx out the door, walking out into the afternoon street. The sun was beginning to descend upon the horizon, birds flying overhead to roost for the night. Ponyville had cleared out by a great deal since a few hours before, giving the two a generous amount of privacy.
“So, Nyx, what did you want to talk about?” Twilight looked down at the filly, the two walking past some benches. Nyx bit her lip anxiously, apprehensive for what she was about to say.
“I… I want to go trick or treating on Nightmare Night this year,” she said those words like they were heavy cement, her mother stopping dead in her tracks.
“You want to do what?” Twilight asked, not sure that she had heard her right.
Nyx breathed in, allowing herself to calm down a little. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I wanna go. My friends were talking about it at school today, and they seemed so excited about all of it and I just thought, ‘Hey! I wanna do that too!’”
Twilight shook her head. “But Nyx, you hate Nightmare Night. You hate everything it stands for, you told me last year.”
“I know, but...” Nyx turned away, sitting on the bench, “...the guys have so much fun doing pranks and getting candy and scared, and I know they want to do it with me, and...”
“You don’t want to let your friends down,” Twilight finished her sentence, sitting down on the bench next to her little girl. “Nyx, you shouldn’t force yourself to do something you don’t like just because it’ll make somepony else happy. It wouldn’t be good for either of you.”
“I know, but I really think I can do it this year, at least give it a chance. Isn’t that what I should do? Give things a chance?” she asked, looking up at Twilight through her lenses. Twilight thought about it for a moment, a little hesitant about letting Nyx go out alone at night with her friends. Yet, looking at her, she began to smile, proud that she was being a big girl.
“Alright. I don’t see any reason why you can’t go out with your friends,” Twilight finally said, the little alicorn staring at her with wide eyes.
“Really? You’ll let me?!” Nyx perked up quite a bit, jumping up on the bench to look her mother directly in the eyes.
“Yes, Nyx, you can go. But I want you to be careful. I don’t want you getting hurt,” she warned, giving her a serious look.
“Oh, thank you, thank you! I promise I’ll take care of myself!” she jumped up and down, hugging Twilight around her neck before hopping off the bench, doing a little dance on the ground. Twilight watched her with a smile, yet deep down she began to worry. Her daughter, out in the dark on one of the scariest nights of the year. She began to imagine what might happen in the dead of night, of who might watch her with malevolent interests in the dark. She worried for Nyx, frightened by those who might want to do her harm, who were only waiting for the right moment to make their move.
She only hoped that she was wrong.
The sun fell below the horizon of Equestria, and many miles away from the quiet countryside of Ponyville, the city of Baltimare came alive. The night was filled with distant clouds that covered the waning moon, shrouding the world in an eerie shade. Street lights flickered on, the night crowd flocked through the city, and the neon signs illuminated the night in colors of blue, green, and pink. These lights flickered on and off reflecting on the still wet pavement of the street. It had rained earlier that day, water still dripping off of the buildings while steam rolled from sewer grates. Baltimare, known for its historical heritage and large industrial complex, making business owners rich and investors richer.
It was also a filthy place to live.
Baltimare was undoubtedly the most crime-ridden city of Equestria. If they were asked, most ponies would say that their country was a safe and peaceful place to live. Such was the luxury of those who lived closer to the center of the land. But out here on the outer borders, it was a gateway for thieves, drunkards and gamblers, not to mention the other, more terrible vices. Nothing was off the table, not even slavery. Oh, not in the open, not at all. But outside her borders it was a thriving business, and there were plenty in the cities who were all too eager to supply.
Not only that, but its position as a harbor city made it a haven for crime to thrive.
One such pony who had no qualms for the trade walked silently down a street in the lower side of town, a coat wrapping his body with a hood on his head, shadowing his face. The only identifiable feature he had was a dark beard which poked out from underneath the hood. He was of average size, yet the way he held himself made it clear that he could hold his own in a fight. Not that anyone paid him any mind, the few ponies he came across either rustling through trash bins or looking down alleyways to find suppliers for their carnal pleasures. Trash littered the concrete, pieces blowing gently away by the night wind.
The stallion turned a corner, then looked both ways to make sure no carriages were coming before walking on the other side of the street at a brisk pace, continuing down the path on the other side. To the side, nestled between second-hand stores and old apartments, stood a bar, a flashing neon sign hanging over the door that read ‘THE COCKATRICE’, an image of the creature turning a drinking pony to stone.
His face reflecting the light of the sign, he pushed open the door and walked in, greeted by ponies hooping and hollering as they drank the night away. The establishment was cast in shadows, colored strobe lights flashing in sequence to the low, thumping music playing in the background, stallions and mares dancing sensually together. To the left, an oakwood bar was set up with a wall filled with every kind of spirit that could be desired, the bartender cleaning the countertop, waiting for the next order.
The hooded stallion made his way through the crowd towards the bar where two other stallions sat, one tall and skinny, and the other short and muscular. He quickly moved to sit between them, ordering the bartender to bring him a glass of applejack.
“Blaze, where in Tartarus have you been?” the tall one asked, shifting around inside his old torn coat, taking a swig of his drink.
“I had to take care of some business, Greaser. Money doesn’t make itself,” he said, placing a few bits on the tabletop as he was handed his drink.
“Dog, it's all good. Did you get the cut?” Greaser asked, stretching out his stiffening wings.
Blaze nodded, reaching into his coat pocket and pulled out a small bag filled with unmarked bits, tossing them onto the counter. Greaser immediately took the bag and poured the contents onto the bar, counting away the expensive pieces of metal into three separate piles.
“Cherry really came through this time,” the pegasus smiled, scratching his face while eyeing the stacks of ill-gotten money.
“That she did. Thanked us for our services, too. Threw in a little something extra,” he said with a crooked grin, remembering the little after-business ‘party’ she had entertained.
“Yeah, she probably thanked you real good, didn’t she, Blaze?” the short bulky stallion sneered, giving a toothy grin at his expense.
“Piss off, Razer,” Blaze spat, glaring at him with sharp eyes as he slapped him in the side.
“You what?” Razer growled, raising out of his seat to take a swing at Blaze. Blaze, however, was faster, swinging his hoof to the side, catching Razer in the throat, the unicorn gasping for air. Before he could regain his senses, Blaze grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed him muzzle-first into the table, cracking his snout.
Greaser stared at the two with wide eyes as Blaze put his glass to his lips, tipping it to the bleeding stallion as if giving him a salute. “Hey, Razer!” he said, gaining the attention of his enraged friend.
“Lean away from your vodka unless you want a Bloody Mary,” Blaze said, taking a swig.
Razer blinked, staring at him for a moment. He then looked down at his drink, then back up at him while holding his bleeding nose, and laughed. The fight had gone unnoticed by the majority of the bar patrons, and now the three laughed with each other as if nothing had happened.
Unnoticed by all, except for one hooded figure watching them from the shadows.
Blaze was about to take another drink when he noticed the figure out of the corner of his eye, sitting in a corner at the end of the bar. He turned his head as the figure took off their hood, revealing the face of a young, latte-colored unicorn mare. She took a drink from a small martini glass that she held in her magic, staring back at him with forest-green eyes, and smiled. Blaze nudged Greaser with his elbow and pointed at her, just as she rose from her stool and made her way around the bar towards them, her body swaying as she walked.
The three watched her closely, taken in by the way she moved, Greaser and Razer looking at each other with sickly grins, while Blaze continued to watch her closely. He half-expected her to just walk by, but was surprised when she stopped beside them, giving them a smile.
“Hello there, boys. Mind if I take a seat?” she asked, hoisting herself up onto the bar, leaning back on her front hooves behind her back and her hind-legs dangling over the edge.
The three stallions looked at each other, giving each other questioning looks. Blaze tilted his head as he eyed her, giving her a playful grin. “Well no, I suppose not. And who might you be?”
The mare gave him a smile, her eyes glazing over his muscles as she bit her lip. “Is that important?”
Blaze looked her over, able to pick up on the finer details now that she was closer. The mare had a good figure, her dirty gamboge mane covering the upper part of her eyes. But what stood out most was her coat. Most ponies had a solid color in their fur, but she had a unique spotted pattern, coloring her hooves and ears in a milk chocolate brown, her muzzle and underbelly a shade of desert beige. To simply put it, she was exotic, and exotic could catch any stallion’s fancy.
Blaze gave her a mild chuckle, putting his glass down. “No, I guess not.”
The mysterious mare smirked, turning to the bartender and whistled for his attention. “Drinks for all four of us.”
The bartender nodded, pouring out drinks as the mare looked at them tentatively, comparing them with each other. “So, what do you young colts do around here?” she asked, tapping her hoof to the beat of the music.
“We’re in the… trading business. Pays well too,” Greaser said licking his lips, giving her a half-truth.
“Really?” she asked, her eyebrow raised.
“Yes, really. And you?” Blaze asked, taking the drink the bartender gave him.
“Oh, nothing much. Just came into the city early yesterday. Looking to see the sights, maybe find somepony to show me a good time?” she cooed, taking the martini offered into her magic and took a long sip, staring at him over the rim.
Razer and Greaser looked at each other, unable to believe what she was saying. Blaze’s smile only grew wider, raising his glass to hers. “Well, I’m sure we could think of something.”
“Oh? Have a few ideas, handsome?” she gave an innocent look, playful and catty.
“Maybe. You wanna step outside so we can discuss a few of them?” he said suggestively, staring at her hips.
She smirked, lowering her glass onto the counter. “Whatever you say,” she said, sliding off of the bar and standing close to him, eager to leave. But Blaze grabbed her arm, holding her there beside him as he stared into her eyes.
“How do you feel about bringing my boys along for the ride?” he asked.
She hesitated for a moment, staring at the other two stallions beside him. Blaze began to frown. For all her confidence and seductive act, perhaps she wasn’t so serious after all? But as he was about to dismiss her, she slowly looked the other two stallions over, her eyes glancing down at their lower bodies, then darted up with a lustful gaze. She licked her lips hungrily.
“Sure, why not? The more the merrier,” she said with a bounce, humming as she walked towards the alleyway exit at the back of the bar. Blaze downed the last of his drink and followed after her, gesturing for his friends to come along. The three stallions followed the mare to the door, moving past dancing ponies in their wake as flashing red and purple lights showed them their way.
The four ponies left the building and breathed in the nighttime air. The alleyway was a dark and closed stretch of brick and stone. Garbage bins and cardboard boxes littered the backstreet all the way, cockroaches and street rats scurrying about. The only light to expose their surroundings was the milky glow of the moon. Razer and Greaser walked into the middle of the alley, watching the mare take in her surroundings.
“So, lady, what would you like to do tonight?” Razer asked, licking his lips. The mare smiled, walking directly in front of the three stallions, looking Blaze in the eyes, and pushed him hard against the wall, pressing her lips into his. The other two stared wide-eyed at how forceful she was, but quickly took it in, watching the two go to town on each other.
They broke away, staring into each other's eyes as they panted, their breath showing in the cold night air. The mare watched his chest moving up and down and smiled, piercing her lips to utter one simple word.
“Khadhahum.”
There was a flash of light in Blaze’s vision, blinding him for a moment as he suddenly felt himself being held against the wall by an orange field of magic. Confused, he began to struggle, but found that he couldn’t move. Suddenly he heard his friends shouting out in surprise, the sound of a fight piercing his ears as his senses slowly returned to him again.
Through his dazed vision, Blaze could make out his companions struggling against two stallions clad in strange armor. Razer was quickly subdued while Greaser pulled a knife out and swung it at one of the guards. He dodged the swing by just a hair and pulled an extending bo staff out from his belt that he cracked over his head. Greaser stumbled back, giving the guard enough time to push him against the wall, pinning him in the air against the brick by his neck with the staff. He himself was being held against the wall by a field of magic, strong and unbreakable as the mare kept him prisoner.
“Afrihi, li'anana lm shaml maratan 'ukhraa!” one of the guards shouted, pushing the butt of his staff into Razer’s cheek.
“Gentle with them, boys. We still have to get what we came here for,” the mare ordered the guards, both nodding in acknowledgment as she pulled a long pipe out of her cloak, lighting it with her horn while still keeping Blaze in place.
“Hey! What in Tartarus do you think you’re doing?!” he shouted, staring daggers at the mare. He was answered by a quick slap across the cheek, the mare pushing his face forward, forcing him to look at her.
“Information, sweetie. And do remember that I’ll be asking the questions,” she said in a harsh tone, staring at him like a piece of meat.
“Bite me,” he growled, spitting in her face, to which she simply closed her eyes, scrunching up her mouth.
“Now, is that any way to talk to a lady?” she asked, her horn glowing brighter. Blaze suddenly felt as if his skin was on fire, burning him as if he were trapped inside a furnace. He cried out in pain, wincing as tears began to form in the corners of his eyes.
“Now, are we going to play nice?” she asked, relieving the level of pain she was allowing him to experience.
Razer watched on in anger, his temper running on a fuse. He wasn’t going to allow himself and his friends get roughed around by some streetcorner mare and her pimps. Looking at the guard pinning him to the ground, he noticed that they were far too large to be ponies, and given the features, they looked like Saddle Arabians. They were certainly intimidating to look at, but his temper helped him to ignore that as he turned his head and noticed a glass bottle behind him. He watched as the guard holding him to the ground turned to watch the mare deal with Blaze, seeing his opportunity to make a move. Slowly he reached behind his head and went for the bottle, grasping it tightly as he made sure that the guard wasn’t looking, suddenly lunging forward with the bottle, ready to strike the stallion’s head.
But the guard had been paying attention to him the whole time. Suddenly he snapped his head back just as Razer swung the bottle, then quickly threw his head forward, striking Razer in the forehead. Razer saw stars as the guard took the bottle away from him and cracked it against the wall, spun it in the air, and slashed it across his neck in one quick swoop.
Razer reached up and grabbed his throat as he started making gargled gasps for air. Something spilled onto the asphalt between his hooves, dark and wet in the light of the moon. It wasn’t clear what it was to the eye, yet both Greaser and Blaze knew immediately what it was.
“Oh, sweet Luna, sweet Celestia!” Greaser grew manic as he strained his words, starting to hyperventilate. Blaze watched wide-eyed as Razer slumped to the ground, his body going limp. The mare turned and barked angrily at the guard in a foreign language, chastising him for killing him without an order.
Blaze panicked, watching the argument unfold, noticing her hold on him was weaker than before. Quickly, he started looking around him, searching for something, anything he could use to get away. On the ground he saw a second bottle, pulled it to himself with his magic and swung it at her head, and this time it worked. The bottle struck her right in the side of her head, forcing her to fall back, releasing him from her hold. Now free from her field he bolted, running down the alleyway to get away from them.
Turning the corner, he ran down the adjacent alley, running blindly into the dark. He looked over his shoulder, trying to see if he was being followed, but the darkness was making it difficult to see, so much so that he didn’t notice the wall he was about to run into. Blaze cried out as his body slammed into the brick, sending him flying back to the ground. He winced, pushing himself up on his knees as he regained his bearing, coughing and looking around him.
He had escaped them, only to run right into a dead-end, boxing him in like a caged animal. Building walls surrounded him with his only exit being back the way he came. The little nook was dark, save for a singular streetlight that hung over him like the tiniest sliver of hope in this insanity, though the shadows still fell around as if they were reaching for him.
“No. Nononono!” he screamed, slamming his hooves against the wall. This wasn’t happening. He wasn’t going to die here in this filth! He reasoned that if he ran fast enough, he could make it to the other alley opposite of the one he was now in. He could find another way to get out of there. Quickly he turned back where he came from, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw the mare standing at the end of the alley, staring right at him, his body turning white.
“Stay back!” he cried out frantically, pulling a knife out of his hoodie with his magic, pointing it at the mare. She held her ground, standing silently in the dark while her eyes suddenly flashed red, her shadow stretched out long and haunting as it came toward him. Terrified, he tried to run, but fell to the ground as the shadow snaked against the wall and grabbed his shadow by the leg, pulling him back by force. Suddenly, he was lifted into the air and slammed back into the ground, then thrown across the alley into the wall behind him with a loud crack, dropping the knife. He groaned, coughing and hacking as he tried to get up, only to be pulled up against the wall and into the air, dangling a few feet off the ground against the brink.
The mare came forward, staring at him with cold, indifferent eyes. Her shadow and his were cast together against the wall by the light of the lamp, dark tendrils wrapping themselves against his neck as he gasped for air, clawing against his neck at nothing.
“Now, are you ready to talk?” she asked, her voice much harsher than it had been before as her eyes returned to normal. Gagging and struggling to breathe, he nodded his head as best as he could, squirming in the air before her.
“Weeks ago, you tried to take a foal and sell her. Where is she now?” she asked, growling like an animal.
“I’ve taken lots of kids, be more specific!” he spat, trying to retort, only to have the back of his head slammed into the wall, yelping in pain.
The mare looked at him in disgust, but continued her interrogation, “An alicorn! Black coat. Serpent eyes.”
“The N-Nightmare Moon kid!? Is that what t-this is all about?” he shouted, choking on air.
“Where is she?” she demanded, getting her face up into his.
“How should I know? I’m not her parent!” he said, only for the hold on his neck to grow tighter, suffocating him.
“You recognized her even though she wore a disguise. You've seen her before. Figure it out,” she hissed, her burning red eyes glowing brighter. She knew he had it in that tiny mind somewhere, she just had to persuade him to remember. Frantically, he began thinking back, trying to remember where he had seen her prior to her coming to Baltimare. Names of towns went off in his brain like fireworks, working like the devil to try and come up with an answer before she could lose her patience and kill him. Suddenly one town stood out in his mind, remembering the night when Nightmare Moon had plunged the world in darkness.
“P-Ponyville! That little monster’s in Ponyville!” Blaze gasped out, his vision beginning to fade from the lack of oxygen. Before he could pass out however she let him go, stepping back as he fell to the ground, coughing madly, hunched over in pain. His lungs felt like they were on fire. He curled up into a ball as the guards came up behind the mare, dragging Greaser along with them.
“Where can I find this Ponyville?” she asked, her voice softer now that she had her answer.
“P-Promise you’ll let me go, and I’ll tell you,” he said quickly, looking up at her with his hoof against his chest. The mare stared at him for a moment and nodded, giving her word.
“It’s near Canterlot, south by about sixty miles. You can’t miss it,” he said, whining as the pain in his chest lit up again, making him want to throw up.
“Thank you,” she said calmly, motioning to her guards who stood at attention, “Kill him.”
Greaser’s eyes grew like saucers as he began to shout, pleading with the two as one of them pulled out an ugly looking dagger and stabbed him repeatedly, a choked scream coming from his mouth as he lurched forward, falling to the ground. Blaze backed away in horror, screaming at the mare in front of him.
“You told me you’d let us go!” he shouted, just as her magic flared up again and he was pulled forward, his face brought right up to hers.
“I said I’d let you go. Besides, we need to cover our tracks. Don’t want anypony asking questions,” she said, her horn glowing brightly, illuminating his face in a sinister lime-green.
“W-What?” he mumbled out, staring at her before gasping as her head split open, revealing row upon row of jagged yellow teeth. Blaze screamed in terror, falling back as the guards broke apart as well, elongated limbs and razor-sharp talons growing out of their monstrous bodies, reaching for him.
Blaze pushed them away and ran for his life down the alleyway, taking his knife with him. He turned the corner and rushed forward until he made it out into the street, where the world had been turned to hell. Monsters and demons roamed the streets like predators on the hunt. Corpses of ponies lay thrown around the street in massive heeps, soaked red and smelling of death. He panicked, thrashing around like a maniac, watching as the monsters came closer, reaching for him.
“No! Get away!” he screamed, slashing at the nearest one, the creature howling in pain as it fell back, others in the group rushing over to it to devour their falling comrade. Blaze ran further out into the street, trying to get as far away as possible when he was suddenly pushed down on the pavement by a pair of the horrid beasts, trying to pull the knife away from him as they pinned him to the ground.
“No! NO!” he cried out in fright, struggling against them with all his might to no avail, one of the monsters shouting at the others.
“What’s gotten into this nutcase, is he juked up on something?!” the ‘monster’ said, an officer in his early forties.
“I don’t know, just get that knife away from him before he hurts somepony else!” his partner shouted, struggling to get some cuffs onto the psychotic Blaze who cried into the pavement. Groups of ponies stood off to the side watching the scene with shocked curiosity, while others tended to the mare Blaze had cut in his hysteric daze. And there in the dark, hidden from everyone else, the three figures watched on in satisfaction. They had gotten what they came for as they moved back into the dark to execute the next step in their plans, slipping into the shadows of the night.
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A storm is brewing in the form of a conspiracy in the shadows,
9786812
Conspiracy is the bedfellow of the shadows
9787102
That's true.
Why did I read this moment in my head played from the Silent Hil in my head?
9850548
Well I don't know let me translate the section
*puts it in google*
*Laughs in Pyramid-head*
I love the ideas that start to form in this chapter, it was the hardest chapter for me to read right now but only because of personal circumstances.
Don’t think Blaze will be right ever again but it’d be fun to see him in the future, like Henry Bowers from IT. Crazed, dangerous.
Intrigued to see what comes next.